Compression undergarment

ABSTRACT

A compression undergarment may include a fabric enclosure that is configured to fit about at least a portion of a wearer&#39;s chest and back. In some instances, the compression undergarment may include one or more protective pads that can, if desired, be removed to accommodate a neck brace. The protective pads may be left in place when no neck brace is being used.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 61/299,756 filed Jan. 29, 2010 entitled “CHEST PROTECTOR AND UNDERGARMENT FOR A CHEST PROTECTOR,” said application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to personal protective gear. In particular, various embodiments of the present invention relate to compression undergarments that may optionally be used with neck braces.

BACKGROUND

Chest protectors are generally worn by motocross participants, “BMX” participants, participants in other active sports, as well as participants in contact sports such as football, hockey and lacrosse. Traditional chest protectors used for motocross are generally designed to protect the participant's chest, back, shoulders and clavicles from flying debris, from injury during a fall or a crash, contact with other participants, and the like. In some instances, compression undergarments are worn underneath traditional chest protectors to afford additional protection.

Recently, new safety gear has been introduced to motocross and other active sports to better protect participants. One of the more significant safety devices that have been introduced in recent years are neck braces that protect the participant's head from high velocity forward movement (i.e. towards the chest) and rearward movement (i.e. towards the back), as these movements are a leading cause of spinal and head injuries. These neck braces include structure that extends downwardly from the neck along the upper chest and upper neck to support the neck and limit movement. Commercially available neck braces are sold, for example, by Alpinestars and Troy Lee Designs (under the brand name “LEATT”).

Compression undergarments can be worn underneath chest protectors and/or can be worn without an additional chest protector. In many instances, compression undergarments such as long sleeve, short sleeve or even sleeveless shirts include padding that is built into the undergarment for the purpose of providing additional protection. Compression undergarments may include one or more of a variety of different pads. In some instances, compression undergarments may include pads such as upper chest and/or upper back protective pads.

Unfortunately, some of these protective pads are not necessarily compatible with these neck braces. In particular, the use these pads in combination with these neck braces may, in some instances, cause the neck brace to not fit properly due to the positioning of structure extending from the neck brace relative to the aforementioned pads. This, in turn, may cause the neck brace to rest too high on the participant and/or cause the chest protector to fit improperly or uncomfortably in order to accommodate neck brace extensions.

As a result, participants have either opted not to wear either the compression undergarments or or the neck brace, or have worn both in an ill-fitting manner. In either case, the safety and/or comfort of the participant may be impacted.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to protective gear such as compression undergarments, particularly for use in high-speed motor sports (e.g., motocross) or other activities to protect the participant from impact with other participants and/or objects.

In some embodiments, the present invention relates to a compression undergarment that includes a fabric enclosure having a front portion and a back portion and that is configured to fit about at least a portion of a wearer's chest and upper back. An upper chest pad is removably secured to the front portion of the fabric enclosure and an upper spine pad is removably secured to the back portion of the fabric enclosure. The upper chest pad and the upper spine pad can be removed to accommodate a neck brace and permit proper alignment and positioning of the neck brace and the upper chest pad and the upper spine pad can remain in place when the wearer chooses not to use a neck brace.

In some embodiments, the present invention relates to a compression undergarment that is configured to fit as a shirt. The compression undergarment includes a dual layer fabric enclosure having an inner fabric layer and an outer fabric layer, the dual layer fabric enclosure having a front portion and a back portion. An upper chest pad pocket defined by fastening the inner fabric layer to the outer fabric layer is formed within the front portion of the dual layer fabric enclosure. An upper chest pad is removably disposed within the upper chest pad pocket. An upper spine pad pocket defined by fastening the inner fabric layer to the outer fabric layer is formed within the back portion of the dual layer fabric enclosure. An upper spine pad is removably disposed within the upper spine pad pocket. The upper chest pad and the upper spine pad can be removed to accommodate a neck brace and permit proper alignment and positioning of the neck brace but can remain in place when the wearer chooses not to use a neck brace.

In some embodiments, the present invention relates to a protective assembly that includes a compression undergarment that is configured to fit as a shirt and a neck brace. The compression undergarment includes a dual layer fabric enclosure having an inner fabric layer and an outer fabric layer, the dual layer fabric enclosure having a front portion and a back portion. An upper chest pad pocket defined by fastening the inner fabric layer to the outer fabric layer is formed within the front portion of the dual layer fabric enclosure. An upper spine pad pocket defined by fastening the inner fabric layer to the outer fabric layer is formed within the back portion of the dual layer fabric enclosure. The neck brace includes a front extension nestled into the upper chest pad pocket and a rear extension nestled into the upper spine pad pocket.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 provides a front view of a compression undergarment in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 provides a rear view of the compression undergarment of FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 provides a front view of the compression undergarment of FIG. 1, showing removal of a chest pad in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 provides a rear view of the compression undergarment of FIG. 2, showing removal of shoulder pads and a spine pad in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a neck brace that may be used with an impact protection device in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates how the compression undergarment interacts with a front extension of a neck brace in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates how the compression undergarment interacts with a rear extension of a neck brace in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates the front extension of a neck brace engaged with the compression undergarment in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates the rear extension of a neck brace engaged with the compression undergarment in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a front of a removable chest pad in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a rear of a removable chest pad in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

The drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be expanded or reduced to help improve the understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. Moreover, while the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details.

Various embodiments of the present invention generally relate to personal protective gear, such as compression undergarments. As used herein, compression undergarment refers to a protective article such as an article of clothing that is designed to fit snugly against a person's anatomy. For example, if the compression undergarment is designed as a shirt, it will fit snugly against the wearer's torso. In some embodiments, a compression undergarment refers to a device that when worn covers a portion of a torso of a user (not shown), including a front (anterior) and/or back (posterior) portion of the user. The torso of the user generally includes the upper body (e.g., neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, upper back, and lower back. Though compression undergarments generally are worn on the torso, compression undergarments according to some embodiments also include extensions and/or other features for protecting the groin, buttocks, thighs, and/or other portions of users.

In some embodiments, the compression undergarments are designed to allow for integration with various styles of neck braces to limit movement of the user's head. In some embodiments, and as will be described subsequently with respect to the Figures, the compression undergarments may be configured to accommodate a neck brace. In some embodiments, the compression undergarment may include removable pads that can be removed to provide the compression undergarment with voids that are configured to accept front and/or rear extensions of a removable neck brace.

In some embodiments, a removable neck brace protects the user by limiting tilting movements of a helmeted head of the user in some directions (e.g., anterior-posterior and/or medial-lateral directions) or in all directions. Illustrative but non-limiting examples of suitable neck braces include those available from Leatt Corporation Inc., 26320 Diamond Place, Suite 130, Santa Clarita, Calif. 91350, as well as those described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0010771 to Leatt, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In some embodiments, the neck brace is attached to the protective device using hook and loop fasteners, such as VELCRO®. In some embodiments, a loop strap with both sides made of the loop material of the fastener is attached to the neck brace or the protective device (e.g., on the harness or on a protective attachment). The loop strap is positioned between two fastener straps for a stronger connection than a single loop and single fastener.

FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrate a compression undergarment 10 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of the compression undergarment 10 while FIG. 3 is a similar view showing removal of an upper chest pad. FIG. 2 is a back view of the compression undergarment 10 while FIG. 4 is a similar view showing removal of an upper spine pad and shoulder pads. The compression undergarment 10 may be considered as including a fabric enclosure 12 having a front portion 14 and a back portion 16. In some embodiments, as illustrated, the fabric enclosure 12 may be considered as being configured to fit as a shirt. While the fabric enclosure 12 is illustrated as being a short sleeve shirt, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments the fabric enclosure 12 may be configured as a long sleeve shirt or even as a sleeveless shirt. In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the fabric enclosure 12 (and hence the compression undergarment 10) may be configured as shorts or pants.

In some embodiments, the fabric enclosure 12 may be considered as being a dual layer fabric enclosure having an inner fabric layer and an outer fabric layer. The inner fabric layer, for example, may be formed of a natural, synthetic or blended fabric that is more comfortable against the skin, or perhaps is chosen for its breathability. The outer fabric layer, for example, may be formed of the same material or from a different natural, synthetic or blended fabric that perhaps is better at resisting tearing. In some embodiments, the outer fabric layer may be formed of a material that is water resistant. In some embodiments, the outer fabric layer may be selected for its appearance, such as its visible texture or its color.

In some embodiments, the front portion 14 of the fabric enclosure 12 includes an upper chest pad pocket 16. In some embodiments, the upper chest pad pocket 16 may be separately formed and then attached to the front portion 14 via adhesive, thermal bonding, stitching and the like. In some embodiments, if the fabric enclosure 12 is a dual layer fabric enclosure, the upper chest pad pocket 16 may be defined or otherwise formed by fastening the outer fabric layer to the inner fabric layer via adhesive, thermal bonding, stitching and the like.

As illustrated, the upper chest pad pocket 16 may be formed via stitching 18 that extends around a perimeter of the upper chest pad pocket 16. The upper chest pad pocket 16 includes an opening 20 that is formed via overlap between two pieces of fabric forming the outer fabric layer and/or two pieces of fabric forming the upper chest pad pocket 16. It will be appreciated that the opening 20 will permit a wearer to place an upper chest pad 22 (see FIG. 3) within the upper chest pad pocket 16 and/or remove the upper chest pad 22 from the upper chest pad pocket 16.

The front portion 14 of the fabric enclosure 12 may, in some instances, include one or more pockets such as an additional chest pad pocket 24, biceps pad pockets 26, outer shoulder pad pockets 28 and/or rib pad pockets 30. In some embodiments, these pockets may include permanently installed pads (not visible) such as an additional chest pad disposed within the additional chest pad pocket 24, biceps pads disposed within the biceps pad pockets 26, outer shoulder pads disposed within the outer shoulder pad pockets 28 and/or rib pads disposed within the rib pad pockets 30.

In some embodiments, one or more of these pockets may be configured in a manner similar to the upper chest pad pocket 16 and thus one or more of these pads may be removable and/or replaceable. In some instances, a wearer may want to replace a particular pad if the pad becomes damaged. In some instances, a wearer may want to replace a particular pad with another pad that, for example, is the same general size but offers either more padding or less padding.

In some embodiments, the back portion 16 of the fabric enclosure 12 includes an upper spine pad pocket 32. In some embodiments, the upper spine pad pocket 32 may be separately formed and then attached to the back portion 16 via adhesive, thermal bonding, stitching and the like. In some embodiments, if the fabric enclosure 12 is a dual layer fabric enclosure, the upper spine pad pocket 32 may be defined or otherwise formed by fastening the outer fabric layer to the inner fabric layer via adhesive, thermal bonding, stitching and the like.

As illustrated, the upper spine pad pocket 32 may be formed via stitching 34 that extends around a perimeter of the upper spine pad pocket 16. The upper chest pad pocket 16 includes an opening 36 that is formed via overlap between two pieces of fabric forming the outer fabric layer and/or two pieces of fabric forming the upper spine pad pocket 32. It will be appreciated that the opening 36 will permit a wearer to place an upper spine pad 38 (see FIG. 4) within the upper spine pad pocket 32 and/or remove the upper spine pad 38 from the upper spine pad pocket 32.

In some embodiments, the back portion 16 of the fabric enclosure 12 includes shoulder pad pockets 40 and 42. In some embodiments, the shoulder pad pockets 40 and 42 may be separately formed and then attached to the back portion 16 via adhesive, thermal bonding, stitching and the like. In some embodiments, if the fabric enclosure 12 is a dual layer fabric enclosure, the shoulder pad pockets 40, 42 may be defined or otherwise formed by fastening the outer fabric layer to the inner fabric layer via adhesive, thermal bonding, stitching and the like.

As illustrated, the shoulder pad pockets 40, 42 may be formed via stitching 44, 46 that extends around a perimeter of the shoulder pad pockets 40 and 42, respectively. The shoulder pad pockets 40, 42 include openings 48, 50, respectively, that are formed via overlap between two pieces of fabric forming the outer fabric layer and/or two pieces of fabric forming the shoulder pad pockets 40, 42. It will be appreciated that the opening 48 will permit a wearer to place a shoulder pad 52 (see FIG. 4) within the shoulder pad pocket 40 and/or remove the shoulder pad 52 from the shoulder pad pocket 40. Similarly, the opening 50 will permit a wearer to place a shoulder pad 54 (see FIG. 4) within the shoulder pad pocket 42 and/or remove the shoulder pad 54 from the shoulder pad pocket 42.

The back portion 16 of the fabric enclosure 12 may, in some instances, include one or more pockets such as a mid back pad pocket 56 or a lower back pad pocket 58. In some embodiments, these pockets may include permanently installed pads (not visible) such as mid back pad disposed within the mid back pad pocket 56 or a lower back pad disposed within the lower back pad pocket 58.

FIG. 5 illustrates a neck brace 60 that may be used in conjunction with various embodiments of the compression undergarment 10 described herein. Commercially available versions of such neck braces are available from Troy Lee Designs (the “LEATT”) and AlpineStars, amongst others. Although different versions of such neck braces 60 are available, each have similar features including a front section 62, a rear section 64 and clavicle sections 66, 68 that connect the front and rear sections 62, 64. In various versions, the front section 62 further includes an upper flange 70 and a lower flange or front extension 72. The rear section 64 includes an upper flange 74 and lower extension 376. The clavicle sections 66, 68 each include a support 78 in the illustrated embodiment.

FIGS. 6 through 9 illustrate how the neck brace 60 (FIG. 5) interacts with the compression undergarment 10. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the front and rear extensions 72, 76 can be seen moving down into position, such as if the wearer is in the process of lowering the neck brace 60 into position relative to the compression undergarment 10. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the front extension 72 can be seen nestled against the front portion 14 of the fabric enclosure 12 while the rear extension 76 can be seen nestled against the back portion 16 of the fabric enclosure 12. It will be appreciated that the front extension 72 may compress the upper chest pad pocket 16 (with the upper chest pad 22 removed) and thus fit into the space otherwise occupied by the upper chest pad 22. Similarly, the rear extension 76 may compress the upper spine pad pocket 32 (with the upper spine pad 38 removed) and thus fit into the space otherwise occupied by the upper spine pad 38.

In some embodiments, the compression undergarment 10 may include foam, padding or other structure that helps to support the neck brace 60 in position relative to the compression undergarment 10. In some embodiments, for example, the additional chest pad (disposed within the additional chest pad pocket 24) may help to support the neck brace 60. In some embodiments, for example, the mid back pad (disposed within the mid back pad pocket 56) may help to support the neck brace 60. In some embodiments, the compression undergarment 10 may include other foam patterns or sections within the fabric enclosure 12 that help to support the neck brace 60.

FIGS. 10 and 11 provide a better illustration of the upper chest pad 22. It will be appreciated that while other pads such as the upper spine pad 38 may have different dimensions, they may be constructed in a manner similar to that of the upper chest pad 22. FIG. 10 shows a back side (nearer the wearer's skin) of the upper chest pad 22 while FIG. 11 shows the corresponding front side of the upper chest pad 22. In some embodiments, the upper chest pad 22 may be constructed having a base foam layer 80 that is formed of a relatively low density foam for comfort and an outer foam layer 82 that is formed of a relatively higher density foam for impact protection. In some embodiments, the upper chest pad 22 may include a plurality of air channels or air vents 84 that permit air to flow through the upper chest pad 22.

Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed. For example, while the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the disclosure is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the disclosure, together with all equivalents thereof. 

1. A compression undergarment comprising: a fabric enclosure including a front portion and a back portion, the fabric enclosure being configured to fit about at least a portion of a wearer's chest and upper back; an upper chest pad that is removably secured to the front portion of the fabric enclosure; and an upper spine pad that is removably secured to the back portion of the fabric enclosure; wherein the upper chest pad and the upper spine pad can be removed to accommodate a neck brace and permit proper alignment and positioning of the neck brace and the upper chest pad and the upper spine pad can remain in place when the wearer chooses not to use a neck brace.
 2. The compression undergarment of claim 1, wherein the upper chest pad is removably located in a chest pad fabric pocket formed within or secured to the front portion of the fabric enclosure.
 3. The compression undergarment of claim 2, wherein the upper chest pad fabric pocket comprises a void between an inner fabric layer and an outer fabric layer.
 4. The compression undergarment of claim 3, wherein the upper chest pad can be inserted into the upper chest pad fabric pocket and/or removed from the upper chest pad fabric pocket through an opening formed as an overlapping between first and second pieces of fabric forming the outer fabric layer.
 5. The compression undergarment of claim 1, wherein the upper spine pad is removably located in an upper spine pad fabric pocket formed within or secured to the back portion of the fabric enclosure.
 6. The compression undergarment of claim 5, wherein the upper spine pad fabric pocket comprises a void between an inner fabric layer and an outer fabric layer.
 7. The compression undergarment of claim 5, wherein the upper spine pad can be inserted into the upper spine pad fabric pocket and/or removed from the upper spine pad fabric pocket through an opening formed as an overlapping between first and second pieces of fabric forming the outer fabric layer.
 8. The compression undergarment of claim 1, further comprising a lower chest pad removably secured within a lower chest pad pocket.
 9. The compression undergarment of claim 1, further comprising a shoulder pad removably secured within a shoulder pad pocket.
 10. The compression undergarment of claim 1, further comprising an additional spine pad removably secured within an additional spine pad pocket.
 11. The compression undergarment of claim 1, further comprising a rib pad removably secured within a rib pad pocket.
 12. The compression undergarment of claim 1, wherein the fabric enclosure is configured to fit the wearer as a long sleeve shirt, a short sleeve shirt or as a sleeveless shirt.
 13. The compression undergarment of claim 1, wherein the upper chest pad and/or the upper spine pad is/are formed of a low density base foam and a high density outer foam disposed on the low density base foam.
 14. The compression undergarment of claim 13, wherein the upper chest pad and/or the upper spine pad include air vents.
 15. The compression undergarment of claim 1, wherein the front portion of the fabric enclosure includes additional foam or is otherwise configured to help align a front extension of a neck brace when the upper chest pad has been removed.
 16. The compression undergarment of claim 1, wherein the back portion of the fabric enclosure includes additional foam or is otherwise configured to help align a rear extension of a neck brace when the upper spine pad has been removed.
 17. A compression undergarment configured to fit as a shirt, the compression undergarment comprising: a dual layer fabric enclosure including an inner fabric layer and an outer fabric layer, the dual layer fabric enclosure having a front portion and a back portion; an upper chest pad pocket formed within the front portion of the dual layer fabric enclosure, the upper chest pad pocket defined by fastening the inner fabric layer to the outer fabric layer; an upper chest pad that is removably disposed within the upper chest pad pocket; an upper spine pad pocket formed within the back portion of the dual layer fabric enclosure, the upper spine pad pocket defined by fastening the inner fabric layer to the outer fabric layer; and an upper spine pad that is removably disposed within the upper spine pad pocket; wherein the upper chest pad and the upper spine pad can be removed to accommodate a neck brace and permit proper alignment and positioning of the neck brace but can remain in place when the wearer chooses not to use a neck brace.
 18. The compression undergarment of claim 17, wherein the upper chest pad pocket is formed by stitching between the inner fabric layer and the outer fabric layer within the front portion of the dual layer fabric enclosure.
 19. The compression undergarment of claim 17, wherein the upper spine pad pocket is formed by stitching between the inner fabric layer and the outer fabric layer within the back portion of the dual layer fabric enclosure.
 20. A protective assembly comprising: a compression undergarment configured to fit as a shirt, the compression undergarment including: a dual layer fabric enclosure including an inner fabric layer and an outer fabric layer, the dual layer fabric enclosure having a front portion and a back portion; an upper chest pad pocket formed within the front portion of the dual layer fabric enclosure, the upper chest pad pocket defined by fastening the inner fabric layer to the outer fabric layer; an upper spine pad pocket formed within the back portion of the dual layer fabric enclosure, the upper spine pad pocket defined by fastening the inner fabric layer to the outer fabric layer; and a neck brace having a front extension nestled into the upper chest pad pocket and a rear extension nestled into the upper spine pad pocket. 